Longview, Texas, Jan. 10, 2013 – Mitch Simpson, of Tatum, is awaiting a lifesaving kidney transplant, but the costs are overwhelming. Family and friends are holding a fish fry and barbecue dinner to help offset the expenses.

In 2010, Simpson, 56, was diagnosed with kidney disease, and doctors now say a kidney transplant is essential to his survival. His wife, Kathy, is currently undergoing testing in hopes of being a perfect match to donate one of her own kidneys to save her husband’s life.

The average kidney transplant costs approximately $250,000. Even with health coverage, he faces considerable medical expenses. For the rest of his life, he will need follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications. Post-transplant medications can be very expensive, and they are as critical to his survival as the transplant itself.

When he receives his transplant, he and Kathy must temporarily relocate to be near the transplant center during recovery, incurring substantial expenses for travel, food and lodging.

To help alleviate the financial burden, the Simpsons turned to the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for assistance with some of these financial burdens. NFT is a nonprofit organization that helps patients raise funds to pay for transplant-related expenses.

“It’s heartbreaking to see someone like Mitch face such a debilitating medical crisis,” said Kay Horne, NFT fundraising consultant. “He’s a U.S. Army veteran, a loving husband and father of four, and I know he wants nothing more than to spend many more years with his loved ones. At NFT, we want to help him raise the necessary funds so he can focus on his health and his family, not his soaring medical bills.”

To help with the Simpson’s medical expenses, volunteers are holding a fish fry and barbecue on Saturday, Jan. 26 from noon to 6 p.m. at Leon’s Steakhouse,

2112 S. Eastman Rd. in Longview.

Tickets are $5 a plate, and the event will also include a silent auction.

To make a tax-deductible donation in honor of Simpson, please send a contribution to the NFT Texas Transplant Fund, 5350 Poplar Ave., Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Please be sure to write “in honor of Mitch Simpson” on the memo line. Secure donations also can be made online at www.transplants.org. Donors should select “Find an NFT Patient” to locate Simpson.

About NFT

NFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Memphis, Tenn. that has been helping transplant patients overcome financial obstacles since 1983. NFT provides fundraising expertise to transplant patients by organizing fundraising campaigns in the patients’ own communities. NFT’s fundraising campaigns have generated nearly $60 million to assist patients.

NFT assists more than 2,500 transplant candidates and recipients nationwide. For more information about NFT, please call 800-489-3863 or visit www.transplants.org.